SakuraClan's Legacy
by Catering-Fears
Summary: Deep in a cherry blossom forest lies SakuraClan. A group of honorable cats who take pride in their history and way of life. Many wish to do them harm, but through the struggles and hardships they find strength in one another. This is their legacy.
1. Prologue

**Author's note: First off, thank you for reading this, it's honestly amazing to me that out of all the stories on this website, you decided to read this one. To give a little background, this story is heavily based off an RP I used to participate in whose clan name is this story's namesake. The clan died off mere months ago after nearly three years! While RPing, I became, and I still am very close friends with the person who started the clan, and after reminiscing with her, I decided to write out the stories I and many others made up while RPing and she agreed. This story serves as a tribute to the clan. Constructive criticism is welcomed and much appreciated!  
**

 **Disclaimer: This story is based off the Warriors series by Erin Hunter. I do not claim any ownership to the ideas I took inspiration from. Many of the characters in this story are not my own, and they belong to their respective owners/creators.**

 **Special thanks to my aforementioned friend for not only creating this clan, but for also supporting me in this idea and helping me write it.**

 **Update: Adjusted formatting because it looked strange and corrected some grammar mistakes.  
**

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Prologue

A dark russet red she-cat wandered amongst a grove of towering, star-strewn trees. The sound of her pawsteps mingled with the creaking of the branches up above. A look of confusion adorned her face as she scanned the starry landscape. She recognized this place, but she knew not why she was there. The she-cat felt compelled to call out for someone, she opened her mouth but words would not come out. Instead, her mind told her to simply listen. She pricked her ears, quickly realizing that there was a voice coming from the trees. It was barely audible, but she concentrated on its sound.

"Beware," the trees whispered, "beware."

The she-cat's confusion worsened, and she finally managed to find her voice.  
"Beware what?" She asked, looking around to see if there was any discernible source of the voice.

"Beware!" The trees bellowed, "for a snake lies in the grass."

"Wh-" The she-cat was cut off as a sharp pain coursed through her leg.  
She let out a cry of agony and looked down to find a snake, its venomous fangs sinking into her paw. Panic-stricken, she shook the snake off and it slithered away with a sharp, defiant hiss. The she-cat gasped and staggered before collapsing. Her vision started to blur as she looked around, she opened her mouth the call for help, but she was silenced again.

A gust of wind ruffled her fur as the trees spoke again, their voices beginning to fade along with darkness "beware, beware. If you do not prepare the strike will be your fall."


	2. Chapter 2

Sunsplash groaned as the glare of the sun hit her eyes through the woven branches of the warrior's den. She reluctantly opened her eyes and looked around the den, letting out a small sigh of relief when she saw that she hadn't overslept.

 _Better get up before Cobrastrike gives me a week's worth of dawn patrol_ , Sunsplash thought as she got up and stretched.

Sunsplash smoothed down her ruffled up fur before making her way to the cats gathering around the clan deputy for patrols.

"Sunsplash, you're up," a friendly voice behind her quipped. She turned around to see Goldenstripe padding toward her with a warm smile on his face.

Sunsplash smiled back at him, "did you doubt that I would wake up?" She asked jokingly.

"Well considering how late you went to sleep last night, I would," the golden tom teased as he playfully shoved her.

"How did you know I went to sleep late?" Sunsplash asked, feigning suspicion, "have you been stalking me?"

Goldenstripe laughed, but he didn't say anything and simply smiled mischievously.

Sunsplash was about to say something, but was interrupted as Cobrastrike called for her to join the next hunting patrol. She waved goodbye to her friend with her tail and went to join the cats waiting by the entrance. She swept her gaze across the gathered cats, smiling softly as she saw that her former apprentice, Smokeheart, was leading the patrol. Although she couldn't deny that she was surprised, she didn't think that Cobrastrike had trusted the former rogue enough to lead any patrols. Despite him having faithfully trained under her for several moons and having been considered a loyal member of the clan by many, the deputy still showed distaste toward him. She looked back at the scarred tom, wondering what could've caused the change in heart. She didn't have much more time to ponder this as Smokeheart lead the patrol out of camp and into the forest.

Sunsplash took in a deep breath as they wandered out. Newleaf was in full swing, as evidenced by the pink flowers that covered the trees and their petals that floated gracefully to the ground, filling the air with a sweet scent.

"You're acting like you haven't been outside in moons," a gruff voice commented disdainfully at her.

She turned to face the cat who had spoken to her, Moonstep. The dark-furred tom had never really liked her, and he took every opportunity to insult her or test her patience. It took every ounce of her being to not fluff up and spit a retort. Instead she resolved to ignore his comment and move on with the patrol as if he had said nothing, she found that to be much easier.

Smokeheart stopped and turned to face the patrol, though when he did he looked surprised, as if he forgot they were there. He scanned the group for a moment.

"Sunsplash, Stagfoot, you go and hunt by the river. Moonstep and I will hunt by the fallen tree," Smokeheart instructed before padding off with Moonstep trailing behind.

Sunsplash was glad that her former apprentice had the sense to not stick her with the tom that hated her so. She turned to follow Stagfoot as he headed toward the river, keeping her nose up in the air. She couldn't smell anything except the flowery scent of the trees, and she could tell by his expression that Stagfoot was in the same situation.

"How are Flutterfall and the kits?" Sunsplash asked curiously, deciding to strike up a conversation.

"They're doing good, thanks," Stagfoot responded gruffly, more out of concentration than out of rudeness.

"Those kits of yours are quite the charmers. Just yesterday, Pinekit was trying to get me to bring him on my patrols," Sunsplash purred fondly, "I imagine if I didn't have the foresight, he would've convinced me."

"They are mischievous, and they know you have a weakness for kits. I'm afraid that Cobrastrike doesn't have that," Stagfoot meowed with an irritated flick of his tail.

Sunsplash sighed, wincing slightly as she remembered the near altercation Stagfoot and the deputy had a few sunrises ago. Cobrastrike had gotten upset with the kits when they tried sneaking out of camp, and when Stagfoot had stepped up to argue for his children, he became enraged. If Cherrystar had not broken them up, Sunsplash imagined that Stagfoot would be held up in the medicine cat den rather than hunting with her.

"I'm sorry about that, you know Cobrastrike can be rather passionate," Sunsplash meowed empathically, having been on the receiving end of the deputies 'passions' several times herself after taking up Smokeheart as an apprentice.

Stagfoot huffed, "more like he's a big hothead. Who yells at bunch of kits for something like that anyways? And then at their father directly after? As if I don't know how to take care of my own kits," his hackles raised slightly as he lashed his tail, "and if you ask me, he's just upset things aren't going his way anymore. He's been like since Cherrystar allowed Smokeheart to join SakuraClan."

Sunsplash nodded in agreement, "tell me about it," she muttered quietly with a small sigh.

Stagfoot shook his head, trying to calm his nerves. Sunsplash felt bad for unintentionally riling the tom up and didn't talk again until they met back up with Smokeheart and Moonstep. She spoke with Smokeheart through the squirrel she caught as they made their way back to camp. She deposited her catch into the freshkill pile upon their return, Moonstep following close behind her.

"Guess Halfkit is as useful as Cherrystar said she'd be," Moonstep meowed rudely after dropping his own prey into the pile.

Sunsplash bristled slightly at the backhanded compliment, why must he always bring it up like that, she thought to herself.

Moonstep padded away before she could reply, but she was glad for it. She would hate to lose her resolve in front of the clanmates that did respect her. She turned to walk off as well, but stopped as she was called on.

"Sunsplash," she turned to face her leader, who was sitting in front of her den. The green-eyed she-cat beckoned her over with a flick of her tail and she reluctantly obeyed.

"I'm sorry that he feels the need to call you that," Cherrystar meowed as Sunsplash approached her, "I know that you don't like it when that is brought up."

Sunplash pinned her ears back, "it's alright. I usually just ignore him. After all, it would be foolish to react to such kit-like behavior," she meowed, repeating to her leader what she would very often tell herself. She was grateful that Cherrystar did not bring up what that was. Her abandonment was not something she liked to be reminded of.

Cherrystar nodded, "I'm impressed by how well you keep your temper, perhaps you could teach me how to do the same," she meowed with a faint smile.

"Well, I think you already do that quite well," Sunsplash meowed with a small chuckle, "most of the time it's difficult for others to know what you're thinking."

"Do you find it difficult?" Cherrystar asked, a hint of curiosity in her voice.

"Not really, but I'm good at reading others," Sunsplash replied.

Cherrystar snickered, "of course. Perhaps those mismatched eyes of yours are meant to represent your StarClan-given gift."

"Don't be ridiculous, plenty of cats have eyes like mine…" Sunsplash couldn't help trailing off as she said that.

The only other cats that commonly had mismatched eyes like hers were the cats of MountainClan, making many wonder what her true parentage was. Of course, there was no way to prove that was true. Not only did Sunsplash's coat not match that of any cat from MountainClan, but her petite build was far removed from the the bulky, muscular body that the cats of MountainClan were well known for. Even so, she had a distinct memory of overhearing a group of senior warriors suggesting they take her back to "where she came from" as a kit.

"Is something wrong?" Cherrystar asked, breaking Sunsplash out of her train of thought.

"Huh? Oh, no, I was just… thinking," Sunsplash meowed. She was silent for a moment before speaking again, "I actually haven't eaten today," almost as if on cue, her stomach growled.

Cherrystar chuckled, "you should take care of that then, I must speak with Cobrastrike," she meowed, pointing the tip of her tail toward the brutish tom, "clan business."

"Now there's someone who could learn to control his temper," Sunsplash meowed.

Cherrystar sighed and nodded, "he does try…" she meowed forlornly, her voice trailing off as if she was lost in thought.

Sunsplash frowned, quickly deciding to change the subject, "have you eaten yet today? I could get you something," she offered.

"I'm fine, thank you," she meowed with a small nod, essentially ending their conversation.

Sunsplash nodded and padded over to the fresh kill pile to eat. She watched Cherrystar pad over to Cobrastrike as she picked up a mouse from the pile. She turned away once they started speaking, not wanting to invade their private conversation. She looked around for a place to eat, spotting Pebblefur already tucking into a sparrow beside the medicine cat den and padding over to her.

"Hey, mind if I join you?" Sunsplash asked with a friendly smile.

"Not at all," Pebblefur purred, returning her smile.

Sunsplash sat beside the silver she-cat before she began eating. Despite the fact that she currently was not in very good standings with the deputy, she did get along very well with his mate, Pebblefur. They ate together in silence for a few moments.

"I know Cobrastrike can be a bit rude at times," Pebblefur said, suddenly breaking the silence. "It's just… he wants to be listened to. He is the deputy after all, he just has to be stern to keep everyone safe. Especially with those rogues hanging around."

"I understand," Sunsplash meowed, smiling softly. Even though Pebblefur was normally very quiet, she was never afraid to speak up on behalf of her mate, "but did he really have to shout at Stagfoot and his kits?"

Pebblefur was silent for a moment as she thought, "I suppose not. He just gets frustrated sometimes, you know? He's working hard on getting better with his temper, he really is."

Sunsplash nodded, "I know," she meowed kindly. Though she wasn't sure if she believed it.

They both finished their freshkill and talked about other, unrelated things. They had a pleasant conversation until Cobrastrike came over and offered to take Pebblefur on a hunting trip, leaving Sunsplash by herself. She watched the peaceful camp let out a content sigh.

She caught sight of Flutterfur sitting outside the nursery with her three kits. Owlkit, Pinekit, and Toadkit wrestled and chased each other playfully, which brought a smile to Sunsplash's face. She couldn't help feeling a sense of longing as she watched the little family, having always wanted one of her own.

However, since she didn't know of any tom in the clan who was romantically interested in her, that want seemed very far away. Sunsplash shook her head and decided to get her mind off her desires with patrols, resolving to worry about that another time and not waste it dreaming.

Birchleaf, a slim, pale tabby, padded out of the medicine cat den, she spotted Sunsplash and sighed in frustration.

"Think you could come collect herbs with me?" she asked, somewhat reluctantly.

Sunsplash chuckled at the young medicine cat, "don't act like it's such an inconvenience to ask," she teased.

"Well, it kind of is. I could just leave if it weren't for Cobrastrike's stupid rule…" Birchleaf muttered.

After Birchleaf's mentor had died, Cobrastrike had proposed that she be accompanied by a warrior when she went to perform medicine cat duties outside of camp. Cherrystar agreed with his proposition, since rogues had become an increasing threat in the past few moons and Birchleaf didn't know how to fight. Being the independent young she-cat that she was, Birchleaf was very much opposed.

"Why can't someone just train me to fight?" she asked.

"Because medicine cats don't need to know how to fight," Cobrastrike responded.

"Well, obviously that doesn't apply anymore if I need to be protected," she retorted, "I think you're just afraid of what I could do."

That remark got a very hot headed reply from the deputy, and their conversation evolved into a full blown argument. Exchanges like those had now become the norm for the two.

"He just wants to keep you safe," Sunsplash meowed as she stood up and padded over to Birchleaf.

"He wants control over me, and the clan. One of these days I'll teach him that he doesn't have to be so controlling, mark my words," she meowed self-righteously.

Sunsplash rolled her eyes, but didn't say anymore as Birchleaf started padding out of camp and trailed behind her.


	3. Chapter 3

**Update: Changed Featherfall's name to Quietbird because the old name was too close to Flutterfall.**

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"Do you think twolegs hunt for themselves?" Goldenstripe asked as he and Sunspalsh sat beside one another. The pale moonlight reflected off the pink petals that had fallen to the ground, giving the camp a soft pink hue.

"What?" Sunsplash laughed slightly as she gave him a perplexed look.

"Well, twolegs have to eat, right? And they feed kittypets, obviously they have to get that food somehow." Goldenstripe stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Hm…" Sunsplash hummed, giving one of the petals on the ground a thoughtful look as if she was seriously considering his question. "I suppose so, it would make sense. Though I can't imagine a twoleg crouching on the ground and stalking a bird like we would."

Goldenstripe burst out laughing, evidently he could imagine that and Sunsplash found herself laughing with him despite her statement. She always thought his laugh was infectious. No matter what the situation, if he laughed, she would laugh right along with him.

"What are you two giggling about?" A rather serious and bitter sounding voice asked.

Sunsplash didn't even have to look behind her to know who the voice belonged to. She could recognize that bitter tone from foxlengths away.

"Silversong!" Goldenstripe cheered in his usual friendly voice, "what brings you here to us on this lovely night." His change to a more formal tone made Sunsplash chuckle.

Silversong gave the tom an unamused look, "Cobrastrike wanted me to bring Sunsplash on my border patrol," she replied.

Goldenstripe sighed, feigning sorrow, "very well then, farewell my splash of sun."

Sunsplash chuckled as she stood up, quickly gaining her composure to match his tone as she replied, "farewell to you, too, my stripe of gold. I shall see you upon my return." She bowed her head respectfully, which caused Goldenstripe to lose his noble air and laugh.

"You two are ridiculous," Silversong sneered before walking off.

Sunsplash cast a joyful glance at Goldenstripe as she followed the she-cat to her assigned patrol.

"Where are we patrolling?" Sunsplash asked as she turned back to look at Silversong, a smile still on her face.

"By the western border. It will just be the two of us, though. Cobrastrike needs more cats to patrol the rogue border," Silversong replied, looking as if she was offended by Sunsplash's happy demeanor.

Sunsplash could remember a time when Silversong hadn't been so bitter and determined to make everyone as miserable as she was. Not long after Pebblefur, her sister, had become mates with Cobrastrike did she adopt this new state. Sunsplash had heard rumors that Silversong had desired to be the deputy's mate, after all, she had disapproved of their union. There was no real way to confirm that suspicion, and if Sunsplash was being honest, she couldn't see more than one cat having feeling for such the short-tempered deputy.

The two she-cats walked in silence to the border, not having much to say to one another. The silence between them remained once they arrived at the border, marking it and checking for trespassers as they didn't say a single word to each other. The quiet was broken, however, when Sunsplash saw a cat sitting a foxlength or so by the border. His pelt was black and white and he had a set of icy blue eyes, which Sunsplash found to be slightly intimidating.

"Silversong," Sunsplash called out to her clanmate just loud enough so she could hear, "there's someone here."

Silversong padded over, took one look at the tom and shrugged, "that's just Frost," she meowed casually.

"Who?" Sunsplash was very confused, having expected a completely different reaction than the one she got.

"Frost. He's a loner who hangs around the border. He never crosses, so we've had no real reason to chase him off," Silversong explained.

"Dear StarClan, Cobrastrike would be furious if he knew we were letting a loner hang around here," Sunsplash meowed with an anxious flick of her tail.

"Yeah, but he would never know. Like I said, Frost has never crossed the border," Sliversong replied coolly. Sunsplash sensed a hint of satisfaction in her voice, as if doing something of this nature behind the deputy's back brought her just the slightest bit of joy. She could only describe something like this as one thing: spite, and she had a strong feeling that her clanmates were in on it for the same reason. The tom must have noticed the two, because he stood up from his position and started walking toward them. Sunsplash couldn't help feeling a little nervous.

"Hello Silversong, it's good to see you again," Frost greeted the silver she-cat warmly, which she had no real reaction to. Then he turned his attention to Sunsplash, "and who's this?"

"I-I'm, um," for whatever reason, Sunsplash found herself unable to remember her own name. As if the tom's very presence made her mind foggy.

"Her name's Sunsplash," Silversong finally interjected, looking annoyed at the she-cat's stammering.

"Well, hello, Sunsplash," Frost greeted, not seeming at all bothered by the fact that she was tripping over herself. "I must say, out of all the clan cats I've met so far, you are the loveliest I've seen."

Sunsplash felt a mix of flattery and embarrassment wash over her, she looked away shyly from the tom. "T-thank you," she finally managed to say.

"Ah, so you can speak," Silversong quipped sarcastically, "it's a miracle."

Sunsplash shot Silversong a scornful look and Frost chuckled good-naturedly.

"We should be going, Sunsplash," Silversong continued before Frost could say anything else, "we've done our duty here. Don't forget to keep to your side of the border, Frost."

"Of course, Silversong," Frost nodded, "and I hope to meet you again very soon, Sunsplash."

Sunsplash found herself laughing nervously as Silversong shoved her away toward the direction of camp.

"You're worse than a kit," Silversong hissed once they were out of earshot of Frost.

"Sorry, I-I've just never had anyone say anything like to me before," Sunsplash meowed as she looked at her paws.

"What are you talking about? Goldenstripe says stuff like that to you all the time," Silversong meowed.

"That's different. He's my friend, he doesn't really mean that," Sunsplash insisted.

Silversong rolled her eyes, but didn't say anything else as they went back to camp. When they got back, Sunsplash's mind was still on what the loner had said to her.

 _He was quite handsome_ , she thought to herself, but immediately shook her head, _what am I saying? He's a loner._

That did nothing to get her mind off the blue-eyed tom, her mind only wandering away from the subject when she heard the voice of her friend.

"Hey, Sunsplash, how was patrol? Boring I imagine," Goldenstripe asked with his usual, warm and cheery smile .

"It was just fine, thank you," Sunsplash replied as she looked around, not realizing she'd wandered into the warrior's den and laid down in her nest.

"That's good, at least Silversong didn't make it completely miserable," Goldenstripe joked as he laid down in his own nest, which was barely a mouse-length away from Sunsplash's.

Sunsplash laughed and shook her head, "thankfully, no."

"Hey, I wanted to ask you something, when did you start teaching Smokeheart that tree attack?" Goldenstripe asked, "Riverpaw's been doing really well with her training, but I don't want to teach her something when she isn't ready."

Sunsplash nodded as she listened, her head feeling clearer now. Riverpaw was Goldenstripe's first apprentice, and since Sunsplash had trained one already, the tom often came to seek her advice.

"Hm… Does she know how to climb a tree?" Sunsplash asked.

"Yes, but she needs better technique," Goldenstripe replied after thinking for a moment.

"Then I would improve upon that first, and before you get her jumping out of trees, start small. Like jumping off rocks or low branches, that way her paws can get used to the impact," Sunsplash suggested.

Goldenstripe's eyes brightened, "that's a really good idea. Why didn't I think of that?" he meowed, more to himself. "Thanks for the advice, Sunsplash. Quietbird was wondering the same thing, so I'll talk to her about it in the morning."

"It's my pleasure," Sunsplash purred, then yawned.

"Maybe you should get some rest," Goldenstripe commented with a small chuckle.

"That's a really good idea," Sunsplash chuckled before yawning again, "goodnight my stripe of gold."

"Goodnight my splash of sun."


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: I'm very sorry for my rather long absence. First I had finals and then the holidays came around and this fic ended up taking a backseat, but I'm back and ready to write! I hope you're all enjoying the story so far, please leave a review if you have the time.**

 **Also, I c** ** **hanged Featherfall's name to Quietbird because the old name was too close to Flutterfall.****

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"Are you listening right now, Sunsplash?"

"Huh?" Sunsplash snapped out of her daydream, her reply immediately proved to her deputy that she was, in fact, not listening. She pinned her ears back in embarrassment as a few cats chuckled at her and she felt like an apprentice who'd been told off by her mentor.

"I see, well then, perhaps you would like to demonstrate the move I was just describing to our apprentices?" Cobrastrike suggested.

"A-and what move would that be?" She asked, feeling foolish.

"The kickback," Cobrastrike hissed impatiently.

"Oh, yes, that one," Sunsplash mewed as she mentally shook herself.

Earlier that morning, Cobrastrike had decided to have him and a few other warriors aid Quietbird and Goldenstripe in training their apprentices. Stating that it would teach them to 'be more obedient' if they received instruction from other cats. Goldenstripe has been very upset when he'd heard about it.

"Does he think Quietbird and I are not competent enough to train our own apprentices?" He hissed, which he rarely ever did.

Sunsplash has argued on the ridiculousness of it on her friend's behalf, but that only seemed to make Cobrastrike more determined to do it.

"Why don't you come join us, Sunsplash? Since you're so good at training apprentices," the deputy had sneered passive aggressively.

To make matters worse, Cobrastrike had invited Moonstep to come as well, which Sunsplash felt had a lot to do which her opposition on the activity. The fact that the dark-furred tom was there added to her embarrassment. Sunsplash had decided to tune herself out during the training session, as to avoid any chiding she'd possibly get from either tom. Daydreaming had become much easier for her since she met the loner by the border a half moon ago. She'd seen him a few more times after that while on patrols, and each time he'd compliment her in just the way she liked. So it wasn't very hard for her thoughts to drift to the handsome tom, anticipating when their next encounter would be. However she could not think of such things now with so many eyes on her, half of which encouraging, and the other half waiting for her to fail miserably.

"Don't worry, you got this, Sunsplash," Goldenstripe whispered to her encouragingly.

Sunsplash smiled in appreciation, feeling a surge of determination to prove her doubters wrong in at least this one moment. She went and stood in front of one of the trees surrounding the training hollow, bunching up her muscles as she waited for Cobrastrike to barrel toward her. There were a few moments of tense anticipation before the deputy bolted straight toward her and just when they were about to collide, Sunsplash jumped straight up. With the help of the tree behind her, she launched herself forward, landing behind Cobrastrike and delivering swift yet soft blows to his hindquarters.

The deputy turned around, looking slightly annoyed, "good job, Sunsplash," he meowed reluctantly.

Sunsplash smiled, feeling proud of herself for having bested him despite her lack of focus earlier.

"Don't let it get to your head," Cobrastrike hissed to her quietly before raising his head and asking the apprentices if they'd like to try.

Sunsplash scowled at his remark as she padded back over to Goldenstripe, huffing as she sat down.

"You showed him up," Goldenstripe meowed out of earshot of the others, "I could tell he wasn't very happy about that."

"At least he'll leave me alone for the rest of the training session," Sunsplash sighed in relief.

Goldenstripe tilted his head, "you usually love training sessions," he commented, "especially when you get the chance to prove someone wrong."

"Yeah, well, it isn't very fun when two cats who hate your guts are in attendance," Sunsplash retorted, coming off as more rude and defensive than she had intended.

Goldenstripe pinned his ears back and didn't say anything else to her for the rest of the training session, which made Sunsplash feel horrible for snapping at him. She tried not to focus too much on it at the time, letting her thoughts go elsewhere.

The training session came to an end and as the group was making their way back to camp, Sunsplash pulled Goldenstripe back to talk to him in private.

"I'm sorry for snapping at you, I didn't mean to come off as rude," she meowed apologetically.

Goldenstripe shrugged and smiled, "it's fine, I know you didn't mean anything by it."

 _He's too kind_ , Sunsplash thought to herself. "Let me make it up to you."

Goldenstripe pricked his ears, "and how do you intend to do that?" he asked curiously.

Sunsplash gave him a mischievous smile, she briefly cast a glance at her clanmates who were walking away without them and turned around, "follow me," she invited before running off. She heard Goldenstripe laugh before chasing after her.

Sunsplash knew exactly where she was going to take her friend; the waterfall. It was his favorite spot in the territory. He liked to watch the rushing water, and in Newleaf- or rather right after Newleaf in this case since Greenleaf had started not long ago- it was even more beautiful, with the pink petals gathering at the bottom of the waterfall and laying atop of the calmer waters.

She could hear Goldenstripe gaining on her, and it wasn't long before she saw him beside her. "Do you intend to beat me?" Sunsplash asked, "you don't even know where I'm heading."

"I think I have an idea," he replied as he increased his speed.

 _He knows me too well_ , Sunsplash thought endearingly, though she felt a little frustrated over the fact that her surprise was ruined now. She should've known he'd figure it out.

Goldenstripe skidded to a halt as the arrived at the waterfall, Sunsplash followed suit.

"Ha! I beat you. You should know by now that I'm the better racer," Goldenstripe teased.

"That's what you think, but I'm afraid this is not where I intended to take you," Sunsplash lied.

Goldenstripe narrowed his eyes suspiciously, seeing through her lie immediately, "oh, stop teasing, Sunsplash," he scoffed.

"I'm not!" She remarked defensively.

"Uh huh, so where did you mean to take me?" Goldenstripe asked, tilting his head.

"I meant to take you… here!" Sunsplash gave him a quick shove, causing him to lose balance and fall into the water behind him. She let out a victorious laugh, "I bet you weren't expecting that!"

Goldenstripe shot her an unamused look and then smiled, "well, unless you intend on joining me in here, I suggest you get away from the shore." He threatened as he swam toward her for emphasis.

Sunsplash let out an undignified squeak of alarm and ran away. Water, in any form, was her worst enemy. She could hardly stand rain, let alone swimming in a river.

Goldenstripe chuckled as he lifted himself out of the water, "come on, you know I wouldn't have," he teased.

"When it comes to water, it's difficult to trust whether someone is joking or not," Sunsplash retorted.

"You know you can trust me no matter what," Goldenstripe chuckled, though his words couldn't be more sincere.

Sunsplash sighed, only going toward him when he shook the water off his pelt, though still keeping her distance.

"You seemed distracted during training," he commented with obvious concern, "is there something wrong?" He closed the gap between them, a move she often observed her friend doing when he wanted answers from her. Unfortunately, it usually worked, the intimacy making it hard for he to feel comfortable lying to him. Not that she made a habit of lying to him, but there were moments when she was reluctant to share how see truly thought or felt.

Sunsplash scanned Goldenstripe for a moment, quickly deciding that the sudden tinge of nervousness she felt was due to the fact that she felt that he somehow knew about her feelings for Frost, and not for any other possible reason. She took a step back from him, receiving a confused and slightly disappointed look from the golden tom.

"Your fur's still wet," she meowed, hoping that excuse would suffice, though it earned her an eye roll from him.

"Avoiding the question, I see," Goldenstripe chuckled fondly as he started to groom his damp fur. Sunsplash watched for a few moments before looking away.

"It was just stress and tiredness, I guess. I wasn't exactly expecting to be questioned on my knowledge of battle moves when I woke up this morning. Much less by cats who scrutinize my every action," she suggested.

The excuse seemed to work as Goldenstripe nodded in response, "I understand. Those two are so harsh toward you. You'd think they focus their criticisms on less capable warriors instead of one who's just not clanborn." He gave her a sympathetic smile and Sunsplash mentally sighed in relief, glad that her secret attraction was successfully hidden. She was finding it increasingly difficult to keep her feelings for the loner hidden from her close friend. She was used to telling him everything, a habit she had conditioned herself to since they were kits, but this she knew she couldn't tell. There was no doubt in her mind that he'd disapprove and discourage her from interacting with Frost any further, but Sunsplash didn't consider that perhaps she needed that.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: Things are starting to heat up! This is the longest chapter I've written so far and I hope to write equally as long or longer chapters in the future. Please leave a review!**

* * *

Sunsplash awoke the next morning to a commotion in the clearing. The shouting had caused her to wake up with a start, rudely interrupting her pleasant dreams. She briefly looked around the den to see that she was not the only one who had been disturbed by the sound.

"What's going on?" Smokeheart asked no one in particular as he yawned, his eyes still droopy with sleep. A few other warriors murmured in a similar tired and confused fashion.

Sunsplash didn't reply as she turned back to the entrance of the warrior's den, alarmed to see the sun was just barely starting to rise. She huffed and reluctantly lifted herself out of her nest; poking her head out of the warrior's den to see if she had an answer to her former apprentice's question. She wasn't incredibly surprised to see that that the noise was coming from Birchleaf and Cobrastrike having one of their arguments, though usually they didn't happen so early in the morning.

"You were putting him in danger!" Sunsplash heard Cobrastrike hiss as she watched them from the den.

"I was not! Pinekit would've been perfectly safe with me!" Birchleaf retorted sharply, Sunsplash could see the kit in question hiding behind the young medicine cat, looking at the deputy with wide, fearful eyes.

Sunsplash wasn't sure what it was they were arguing about, but she knew she had to break them up before it got too serious. Just as she was starting to move her paws, Pebblefur raced past her, toward her mate.

"Cobrastrike, what are you doing?" the gray she-cat asked her mate, a mixture of confusion and disappointment on her face.

The brutish tom turned to his mate, his eyes immediately softening, though there was still a bit of tension in his shoulders. Sunsplash found it strange to see Cobrastrike's mood change so fast. While it was true that his mate would often calm him down and bring out a more sympathetic side of him, it was never so quick and obvious. His soften expression turned to that of embarrassment, mirroring the kit who was still cowering behind Birchleaf.

"I'm sorry, Pebblefur." The deputy moved toward his mate, but she flinched away, causing him to frown.

"We talked about this, you promised you'd stop doing things like-like this!" Sunsplash had never seen Pebblefur look so upset, with her tail lashing and her fur bristled.

Cobrastrike quickly matched her body language as he retaliated, "Birchleaf was deliberately trying to disobey me! She could have put Pinekit in danger!"

"You're terrifying the poor thing!" Pebblefur went over to the kit in question and she spoke softly to him before ushering him back to the nursery, where his mother was now waiting just at the entrance. Pebblefur turned back to her mate, "are you going to make our own kits feel like that? Like they have to be afraid of their own father?"

"Of course not! I just don't want cats like her-" Cobrastrike quickly gestured to the young medicine cat- "putting our kits in danger and teaching them it's okay to disobey authority."

"Hey!" Birchleaf interjected, "he would have been perfectly safe with me, it's not like I would've taken him right to the rogues."

"I'm starting to doubt you wouldn't have."

"How dare you-"

"I've had enough of this!" Pebblefur cried, "and I've had enough of you Cobrastrike! You never keep your promises and your obsession with authority is… infuriating!" The she-cat didn't say anymore as she turned and ran off.

A look of disbelief took over the deputies features and without any warning, he turned on Birchleaf. Leaping at her with unsheathed claws. The medicine cat cried out in pain as he tore at her pelt. Sunsplash wasn't even aware of it at first when she had run over to pry the fuming deputy off of her, digging her teeth into his scruff but proving unsuccessful. Moonstep and Silversong rushed to her aid and Moonstep was quick to pin the tom to the ground once he and Sunsplash got him away from Birchleaf. Sunsplash found herself unable to process what had just happened as she stared at the deputy, who was writhing in anger under Moonstep's grasp.

"Are you okay?" Goldenstripe's familiar voice snapped her out of the brief trance she was in.

"I-I'm fine, is Birchleaf okay?" Sunsplash asked, noticing that the medicine cat, as well as Silversong, were now gone.

"I'm sure she'll be fine, Silversong took her into the medicine cat den. She's smart, she'll figure something out."

Sunsplash nodded, a feeling of numbness was starting to take over and she wasn't quite able to shake it, the fact that her gaze kept drifting over to Cobrastrike wasn't helping. "Someone should get Cherrystar," she suggested as the thought occurred to her.

"Smokeheart's one step ahead of you," almost as if on cue, the gray tom emerged from the camp entrance with Cherrystar and her patrol she'd taken out eairlier that morning trailing behind them.

"What is the meaning of this?" Cherrystar asked as she quickly padded over, the question directed toward Cobrastrike.

Cobrastrike seemed to ignore Cherrystar, struggling for a moment before breaking himself free from Moonstep's grasp. "Where is she?" The deputy asked as he looked around.

"Where is who?" Cherrystar stuck her nose in the tom's face, forcing herself into his line of sight.

"That piece of mouse-dung named Birchleaf! I need to teach her a lesson, it's far over due," Cobrastrike hissed as he tried to bypass Cherrystar.

Cherrystar quickly stepped in front of him, "you will not lay a paw on her. I'm surprised at you, Cobrastrike. I know you and Birchleaf don't get along, but attacking her? That's crossing the line." She meowed sternly, her tail lashing. She paused for a moment, as if considering what she should say next. The deputy wasn't paying very close attention, still trying to look for Birchleaf.

"Since you've finally shown that you can't control your temper," Cherrystar continued, "I'm removing you from your position as deputy."

That got the Cobrastrike's attention, "What? You can't do that!"

"I certainly can, you are obviously not fit for the position like I thought you were. From now on, you will be serving the clan as a warrior."

Cobrastrike growled and his hackles raised, "I can't believe you're taking that mouse-brain's side-"

"I'm not taking anyone's side. The fact of the matter is is that you attacked her. Which is not an appropriate response to have when arguing with a clanmate, especially one that can't properly defend herself. As deputy, you should know that," Cherrystar scolded him, which seemed to make the tom even more angry. Sunsplash feared that he might attempt to attack Cherrystar as well.

"I can't believe this! That so-called 'medicine cat' knows nothing about running a clan! Her disobedience should be proof of that, and yet, everyone seems to agree with her," Cobrastrike growled.

The now former deputy huffed and walked past Cherrystar, his tail lashing, "I've had enough of this. No one respects my authority… no one!" He shouted, his voice seething with rage, Sunsplash put her ears back in dismay.

"Calm down, Cobrastrike," Cherrystar meowed, her usually cool voice wavering slightly.

"No! I'm leaving, there's nothing left for me here now. No respect, no family…"

"You don't have to do that, Cobrastrike. As long as you make amends-"

"But will I get my position back? Or will one of these other fox-hearts get it?" He spat in disdain, which made Sunsplash frown as he insulted her and the other warriors.

Cherrystar seemed unsure of how to respond for a moment, "no," she finally said. "You have showed us you are no longer capable of handling the position of deputy."

"That's what I thought," Cobrastrike grunted before turning and walking away. He stopped before exiting the camp and looked over his shoulder, "I'll be back."

Sunsplash shuddered slightly at the ominous statement and in that moment, Cobrastrike was gone.

"Did that just happen?" Goldenstripe asked once Cobrastrike had left, taking the words right of Sunsplash's mouth.

Sunsplash looked over at Cherrystar, who wore a grief-stricken face. She thought she could she a glimmer of fear in the leader's eyes, but it quickly went away as she turned to look at the gathered cats, which consisted of the entirety of the clan.

"Please, go back to your regular duties. As stated in the Warrior Code, I will appoint a new deputy by nightfall." Cherrystar gave a curt nod before padding over to the medicine cat den, likely to check on Birchleaf.

The clan erupted with worried chatter, Sunsplash could hear bits of conversation among the cats.

"I can't believe Cobrastrike would do that!"

"Why did he do it?"

"Do you think Cobrastrike will ever come back?"

"Who's going to be deputy?"

Sunsplash was asking all of those questions as well, and she was glad that she wasn't alone in her shock. She looked over and noticed Moonstep not too far away, still staring at the entrance to camp.

"Thank you for helping me get Cobrastrike off Birchleaf… and for holding him down," she meowed, somewhat surprised that she was saying it to him of all cats.

"Don't mention it," Moonstep replied gruffly as he finally tore his eyes away from the entrance to look at the ground.

There was a moment of silence between them before Sunsplash decided to speak again, "you two were friends, weren't you?"

The dark furred tom's half-blind gaze snapped toward her, "if you think that that will affect my loyalty-"

"No, no, of course not," Sunsplash interrupt quickly before he went on a tirade, "I just figured that you might be upset about it."

Moonstep blinked at her a few time before looking away, "he betrayed the clan. Our friendship is over."

Sunsplash figured that this conversation was over as well, so she stood up and turned away, and was- once again- immediately greeted with Goldenstripe's concerned face.

"Dear StarClan! I can't believe that all happened. You did good by acting fast and trying to get him off of Birchleaf, I don't think any else would've made the first move," the golden tom meowed as he shook his head.

"I wouldn't have been able to do it without everyone else's help… thanks for checking if I was okay after all that."

"Of course," Goldenstripe replied with a soft smile, "you looked a little out of it."

"I was, everything just happened so fast," Sunsplash meowed with an exasperated sigh.

Goldenstripe gently touched his nose to her forehead, "I know, but it's over now," he meowed reassuringly. She greatly appreciated the kind gesture and words, but Sunsplash couldn't shake the sense of foreboding she had since Cobrastrike had uttered his last words before leaving.

* * *

"All cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather beneath the High Rock for a clan meeting," Cherrystar called out and cats started to emerge from their dens and out into the moonlit clearing.

Despite the events that had happened earlier, the rest of the clan managed to get on with the rest of the day, though everyone was still a bit shaken. Birchleaf was getting along just fine, Sunsplash spotted her coming out of the medicine cat den, flanks adorned with some minor wounds. The young medicine cat was more irritated by Cobrastrike's actions then traumatized. Sunsplash has spoken to her in the afternoon and she told her that Cobrastrike's blows had felt like 'flowers gently grazing her side'. Sunsplash suspected that she was exaggerating, but she took it as a sign that the she-cat was going to be just fine.

She had spoken with Pebblefur as well not long after her- who she now considered her former- mate's actions. Sunsplash tried to assure her that she had no control over what Cobrastrike did, but she didn't seen convinced.

"I was too brash. I should have just spoken to him about in private," Pebblefur had sighed.

Sunsplash could now see the silver-gray she-cat sitting in the back of the clearing staring at her paws.

"Who do you think the new deputy will be?" Goldenstripe asked from beside her, interrupting her thoughts, and Sunsplash shrugged.

"I'm not sure, maybe Stagheart? He seems pretty leader-like," she suggested.

"He hasn't had an apprentice yet."

"Really? I could've sworn he did," Sunsplash tried to think of who it was she was thinking of.

Goldenstripe chuckled, he was about to say something, but Cherrystar began the meeting before he could.

"I know you have all been anxiously awaiting this meeting, and I apologize for taking so long. These kind of decisions take a lot of time and consideration," the leader explained, "but I have now made my decision."

Sunsplash saw a few cats shuffle around anxiously, and she found herself doing the same.

"I say these words before StarClan, so that the spirits of our warrior ancestors may hear and approve my choice." Cherrystar looked up at the stars as she spoke before looking back down and scanning the clearing. Sunsplash felt her heart skip a beat as the leader's eyes landed on her, "the new deputy of SakuraClan will be Sunsplash."

All eyes immediately turned to her as Sunsplash tried to get over the initial shock. She'd never expected to be chosen for the position and she wasn't sure what to make of it.

"I'm confident that Sunsplash will serve this clan well. I ask that she meet me in my den before she retires to her nest. Clan meeting dismissed." Cherrystar jumped down from the High Rock and went into her den.

Cats immediately started clamoring around her to congratulate her for her new position. Of course, Goldenstripe was the first she heard.

"Congratulations," her friend purred warmly and she smiled up at him, "I knew you'd be the one."

Sunsplash was about to retort, but as was interrupted by another congratulations. It felt like an eternity until cats started to leave and go to their nests.

"I'll see you in the den, I'll make sure to move your nest," Goldenstripe meowed before padding off and before she knew it, she was completely alone in the clearing.

Sunsplash took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves and organize her thoughts before going to speak to her leader. She felt like she could ask Cherrystar a million questions, but there's no way she'd answer them all. Not wanting to keep her waiting, she quickly padded over to the leader's den.

"Cherrystar?" Sunsplash meowed, suddenly finding it very hard to not feel nervous.

"Come in," Cherrystar replied and Sunsplash took another deep breath before doing so.

Cherrystar sat in her nest, a with a small smile to welcome Sunsplash into her den. Though the smile seemed forced, it still managed to ever-so-slightly ease her worries.

"I'm glad you came, I hope you are willing to accept this position," the leader meowed as she gave Sunsplash a respectful nod, there was a trace of worry in her eyes as though she thought that Sunsplash would, in fact, deny the position.

"Do I really have much of a choice?"

"I suppose if you really felt you were not fit, but I think I would have few things to say if you tried to do that," Cherrystar replied.

Sunsplash nodded, "what did you want to speak to me about?"

"Well, I hope you know the duties of your position, but I figured I'd give you the option to ask any questions if you need," Cherrystar offered.

Sunsplash's mind suddenly went blank, every question she had before floated out of her mind. "I-I can't seem to think of any."

Cherrystar nodded in understanding, "that's perfectly fine, if you think of any, I'm always open to answer them. I'm also free for any advice you may need, after all, I was in your position moons ago." Despite her offer, Sunsplash got the sense that Cherrystar was hoping she wouldn't do either of the things she suggested. As if she was uncomfortable with the prospect.

Sunsplash nodded, and ignored Cherrystar's possible discomfort "thank you, Cherrystar, I appreciate that."

"I'm sorry if I don't seem myself," the leader meowed after a few moments of silence, her smile- which disappeared long ago- was replaced with a frown, "I hadn't expected the day to go like this."

"I don't think anyone did," Sunsplash sighed, thinking of what both Goldenstripe and Moonstep had said afterwards, "it was… surprising to say the least."

Cherrystar nodded, "we'll have to work together in easing the clans worries," she meowed.

Sunsplash nodded as well, noticing that Cherrystar seemed just as, if not even more worried than the others and she got the sense that there was something her leader wasn't telling her.

"Besides that I just wanted to remind you to get up early in the morning to organize patrols," Cherrystar meowed, interrupting Sunsplash's thoughts and changing the subject.

"I won't forget," Sunsplash assured her, deciding to not let Cherrystar's lack of transparency bother her for now.

"I know. That is all we have to discuss tonight. You should get some rest, I will see you in the morning," Cherrystar meowed, giving a wave of her tail to dismiss her and Sunsplash got the sense that the leader wanted this meeting to be brief.

Sunsplash respectfully bowed her head, "good night, Cherrystar."

"Good night, Sunsplash."

Sunsplash left the den and took another deep breath, though she felt as if claws gripped at her belly. She gave herself a good shake and padded over to and into the warrior's den. It didn't take long for her to spot Goldenstripe in the center of the den, with what she figured was her own nest beside him. He waved his tail in greeting to her. She chuckled slightly, the claws gripping her stomach loosened their grip and she padded over.

"Oh, that's not for you," Goldenstripe meowed as she started to settle down.

"Oh? Then who is it for?" Sunsplash asked, unable to contain a smile.

"For my tail, obviously," he said as he stuffed his fluffy tail into her face.

"Ack! Hey!" Sunsplash protested with a laugh as she batted his tail away, Goldenstripe laughed as well.

"Sorry, I had to," Goldenstripe chuckled as Sunsplash was finally able to lay down.

"It's fine. I see you have promoted yourself to the center of the den as well."

Goldenstripe shrugged, "just the perks of being best friends with the deputy."

"Well if you think you're going to get anymore than this, you're dead wrong," she teased as she laid her head between her paws.

"So you say," he purred.

"Good night, my stripe of gold," Sunsplash meowed dismissively as she closed her eyes.

"Good night, my splash of sun."

Sunsplash smiled, but after a while she found herself unable to sleep and she quietly shifted around her nest, careful not to disturb Goldenstripe. She couldn't get Cobrastrike's last words out of her mind.

' _I'll be back'... did he really mean that?_ Sunsplash asked herself. After long moments of tossing and turning, she accidentally bumped into Goldenstripe.

"What's going on?" The tom meowed sleepily as he raised his head.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to bump into you," Sunsplash meowed apologetically, "go back to sleep."

"Can you not sleep?" Goldenstripe asked as he yawned.

"Not really, nerves I guess," Sunsplash sighed.

"That's alright," Goldenstripe muttered, he scooted over to her, pressing up against her and wrapping his tail around her. Sunsplash froze for a moment, having not been so close to her friend since they were young kits and sharing a nest with Goldenstripe's mother. She relaxed after a moment as Goldenstripe adjusted himself. Sunsplash noted that he was practically hanging off the edge of her nest and she shifted over to make more room for him.

"Thanks," he drawled tiredly and adjusted himself once again.

Sunsplash laid her head down, "no, thank you," she meowed quietly.

"No problem," he muttered and the tom quickly fell back asleep.

Sunsplash sighed as she felt the claws gripping her belly lose their grip entirely and Goldenstripe's unusual closeness comforted her, strangely enough. She ignored the fact that her heart was beating faster than a hare, deciding it was just remaining anxiety she had for the day ahead. She sighed, letting the warmth from Goldenstripe's body envelope her and comfort her. The tom started to snore softly, but having heard the sound many times before, Sunsplash didn't mind. She stared at Goldenstripe's peaceful face for a few moments before closing her eyes and falling asleep, letting pleasant dreams follow.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I apologize for the hiatus! School is a pain. I Hope you enjoy this chapter, the next will be coming out very soon. Please leave a review!**

* * *

It took Sunsplash longer to adjust to her new position than she thought it would. Her first day, she ended up sleeping in, meaning that the first patrols of the day didn't go out until sunhigh. She felt terrible for her mistake, especially since she'd promised Cherrystar she'd get up early, but her leader assured her that it was not a problem. Unfortunately, other cats were not as forgiving toward her mistake as her leader, and she had started to hear murmurs about how Cherrystar had made the wrong decision. Her first two moons of deputyship were filled with her overhearing cats whispering their doubts toward her abilities and analyzing her every move. Goldenstripe, of course, told her not to listen to them and that she was doing a fine job, but as the sunrises came and went, she was starting to believe what the others said more and more.

On this particular morning she decided to go for a walk to clear her mind. She organized patrols and reported a few items of business to Cherrystar before telling her she wanted to get some time to herself. She was glad her leader didn't mind, but she did tell her to be back soon since storm clouds were starting to brew, and considering past storms, lightning and strong winds were bound to ensue. Even now the the wind was starting to tug at Sunsplash's fur.

 _I've been so off this past moon,_ Sunsplash thought to herself as she walked aimlessly, _everything just seems off. The thing that seems the most off besides myself is Cherrystar._

Although Cherrystar was typically a very calm, cool and collected she-cat, since what had happened with Cobrastrike, she was on edge. Sunsplash couldn't really blame her, she could tell they'd been somewhat close. Maybe not entirely friends, but they got along and Cherrystar had obviously trusted him. Unfortunately, now Cherrystar seemed very reluctant to extend that same trust she had had to Sunsplash. She couldn't really blame her for that either, however, Sunsplash felt like she was making no progress on that front.

 _I just wish there was some way-_ Sunsplash's thoughts were interrupted as she heard something rustling about in the foliage. She pricked her ears, trying to gauge where exactly the sound had come from. As she looked around, she realized that the landscape surrounding her was entirely unfamiliar. It dawned on Sunsplash that while she'd been lost in thought, she'd wandered far from the territory and was now lost. She willed herself not to panic and instead focused on the sound, in case whatever was making it planned on attacking her.

"Never thought I'd see you here," a familiar voice chuckled from behind her. Sunsplash whipped around, relieved to see that what she'd heard was none other than Frost, the loner.

"Dear StarClan, you scared me," Sunsplash meowed as she let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding.

"Sorry about that," the tom apologized as he padded over to her.

Over the past moon, Sunsplash had gotten to know Frost much more. She decided to let the tom still hang around the border, which no one really questioned since they were so used to seeing him there. Whenever she would lead a patrol, she'd always take it to the western border where Frost would be waiting. They'd chat and banter for a bit before the patrol had to leave and Sunsplash always found herself sad to go and would think about the tom frequently afterwards.

"It's fine," Sunsplash sighed, she looked around once again, "where are we?"

"Not to far from the twoleg place," Frost replied, "are you lost?"

"Unfortunately, yes. I was lost in thought and didn't realize I'd wandered so far."

Frost chuckled at that, "I didn't think a deputy could be so absent-minded."

"Well, sometimes they can be," Sunsplash countered. She sniffed the air and tried to figure out where her own scent trail was so that she could backtrack home, but the ever increasing wind was not helping.

"Would you like me to walk you back?" Frost offered.

Sunsplash's fur grew hot, "I wouldn't want to impose-"

"It's no trouble, I walk this way everyday." He didn't give her a chance to say much else before he started walking to the border.

Sunsplash quickly caught up with him, "is your den around her?"

Frost nodded, "a little further back, actually."

Sunsplash frowned, "you walk from there to the border everyday?"

Frost nodded, "I do, indeed."

"Whatever for?"

The tom shrugged, "there's a lot of things in your clan worth seeing."

"Like what?" Sunsplash scuffed, surprised that a loner would be so interested in the clan.

"You."

Sunsplash's fur grew hot once again and she tried her best not to show how caught off guard she was. Judging by the smirk Frost wore, she wasn't doing a very good job. They talked a little more, but it wasn't long before they got back to the clan border.

"Thank you for walking me back, I hope it wasn't too much trouble," Sunsplash meowed gratefully.

"Oh no, it was an honor to walk the deputy of SakuraClan back to her territory. It's where she belongs, no?" Frost smiled.

Sunsplash smiled back at him shyly, "I'll see you later."

"About that-" the tom meowed as she started to walk away, which caused her to stop and turn back to look at Frost.

"Huh?" She tilted her head in confusion, wondering where exactly he was going with this.

"I would very much like to see you more frequently. Preferably every night. I love talking to you, and I'd love it even more if I could talk to you everyday."

Sunsplash got a sneaking suspicion that Frost wanted to do more than just talk on these nightly visits. She did enjoy the tom's company, and definitely thought about him more than she should, but she wasn't sure if she'd want to do what Frost was suggesting.

"I-I'm flattered, Frost, but I just don't think I can do that, I have responsibilities-" she started to explain.

"It won't get in the way, I promise," he interrupted, "I'll make sure you get back in time for a full night's rest."

"That's not all I'm worried about. Something like that… I'd be betraying my clan's trust… betraying Cherrystar's trust." _Which I currently don't seem to have,_ Sunsplash added to herself.

"I promise that it will be fine," Frost meowed sincerely.

"I-I don't know…"

"I have an idea," Frost started, "I'll give you five sunsets to think it over. Once the fifth sunset passes, I'll be waiting here to see what you've decided."

Sunsplash blinked at Frost for a few moments, finally she nodded. "Alright, I'll think it about."

Frost smiled, "I'm glad. In that case, I hope to see you then."

"We'll see."

* * *

Sunsplash felt incredibly dazed, she still couldn't believe what she had agreed to. Would she really do it?

 _No, of course not. I'm the deputy, I couldn't do something like that,_ she told herself. However, the more she thought about it, the more unsure she became.

Sunsplash quickly banished the thoughts from her mind as she pressed forward toward camp. The wind was now blowing with incredible strength, and rain was starting to pelt her body. Sunsplash wished she hadn't gone out this morning, the dreadful rain was just one of the many things she wished she'd missed out on. Halfway through the the storm, she run into something- or rather someone- she hadn't expected.

"Cherrystar? What are you doing out here? There's a storm," Sunsplash meowed as she came running up to russet-furred she-cat. Her pelt was already drenched and her green eyes were filled with worry.

"We're fully aware of that," Silversong snapped as she came into view, Sunsplash flashed the she-cat an apologetic look for not noticing her.

"We're looking for Rabbitpelt, have you seen her?" Cherrystar asked urgently.

"No- she's not in camp?"

"Do you think we'd be looking for her out here if she was?" Silversong growled irritably.

Sunsplash put here ears back, realizing that her question was mouse-brained, "I guess not… when was she last seen?"

"Riverpaw saw her when she was changing her bedding in the elder's den, but besides that, we have nothing to go off of, the rain has already washed out her scent," Cherrystar explained.

Sunsplash thought for a moment, "let me help you, we should find her before this gets worse. More of us will mean we find her faster," she meowed decidedly.

"Yes, we could definitely use you, now let's keep looking," Cherrystar agreed before quickly going off to continue the search.

Rabbitpelt was the oldest cat in SakuraClan, and had been in the elder's den for as long as Sunsplash could remember. The old she-cat had served her clan well in her younger years, and every cat held her in high regards and gave her the utmost respect. Although, if someone did otherwise, she'd certainly claw their ears off. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that she was the grumpiest elder SakuraClan had ever seen, and Sunsplash seriously doubted that MountainClan had ever had a elder as nearly as grumpy as her. For most of her life, Sunsplash had successfully avoided being on the receiving end of Rabbitpelt's ill-tempered actions, up until Sunsplash became deputy. After Sunsplash had been appointed deputy, Rabbitpelt never missed an opportunity to criticize her, pointing out and tearing her apart for whatever mistake she had made- and she thought Moonstep and Cobrastrike had been bad. Least to say, Sunsplash was not incredibly excited to interact with the graying she-cat once they found her, and she hoped she wouldn't be the first one to come across her.

The three cats frantically searched for Rabbitpelt, and as the time passed, the storm grew stronger. Now lightning was beginning to grace the sky, with thunder following along not too far behind.

"We should go back," Sunsplash shouted to Cherrystar and Silversong over the rain, "we can send out a search party once this storm ends."

Silversong was obviously ready to go, readily agreeing to Sunsplash's suggestion, but Cherrystar was not as willing.

"We have to find her!" Cherrystar insisted, "she could die out in this storm."

Sunsplash was just starting to think of a way to convince Cherrystar that waiting would be better before Silversong interrupted her.

"Wait! I see her!" Silversong pointed her tail in the direction of a brown tabby in the distance standing in a grove of trees. Sunsplash had to squint to see her clearly, but it was definitely Rabbitpelt.

Silversong started running toward her and calling out for the elder, with Cherrystar and Sunsplash following close behind, but she didn't seem to hear them. There was a flash of lightning with a clap of thunder and all three of the she-cats skidded to a halt, with Cherrystar yowling in alarm. Sunsplash looked up and saw that one of the trees Rabbitpelt was near had been hit, and teetered as the strong wind blew.

"Rabbitpelt! Watch out!" Silversong shouted, noticing the tree as well. She ran after Rabbitpelt and Sunsplash followed after her, Cherrystar close behind.

As they neared the old she-cat, the tree started to topple over, Silversong's speed increased, practically leaping over the expanse of grass separating them from the elder. She continued to call out, "Rabbitpelt! Move! Get out of the way!"

Silversong way only a few leaps away from Rabbitpelt, but the falling tree was much faster. All three she-cats skidded to halt as the tree fell before them, Rabbitpelt disappearing from sight.

Sunsplash ran over to the fallen tree, "Rabbitpelt!" she called out, hoping that somehow the tree had missed her, or that the elder survived. Silversong ran to here side and started to search through the branches and leaves.

"Look!" Silversong meowed after a few moments of searching, she gestured toward a brown mass of fur beneath various branches.

"Rabbitpelt!" Sunsplash called as she ran toward her, half expecting the old she-cat to lift herself up and tell her off for not saving her in time.

"We need to get her out from under these branches," Silversong meowed once they got to her.

Sunsplash nodded and turned to where she expected Cherrystar to be, but instead she saw her leader still standing where she had been when the tree fell on Rabbitpelt. She was staring at the tree with a haunted look in her eyes, "Cherrystar?" Sunsplash called over the rain and wind. The she-cat snapped out of her trance and quickly made her way over to help Sunsplash and Silversong.

They worked together to carefully pull Rabbitpelt out from under the branches. The task proved difficult even with the three working together with, rain blinding them and causing everything to be slippery. Once they got the elder out, Cherrystar stared blankly at her lifeless form.

"What should we do?" Sunsplash asked her leader.

Cherrystar shook her head as if trying to clear her mind, her expression turned serious, but Sunsplash could still she a hint of that haunted expression she saw earlier. "We need to get back to camp, it's too dangerous to stay out here much longer. We'll have a patrol bring Rabbitpelt's body back to camp when this storm is over."

Sunsplash and Silversong nodded in agreement to Cherrystar's order and started running back to camp as quickly as possible to get out of the horrible storm. Cherrystar lingered for a bit longer before following after them.

* * *

"You're soaked!" Goldenstripe exclaimed as Sunsplash and Silversong entered the warrior's den, a worried expression on his face.

"Really? I didn't notice," Silversong grumbled sarcastically as she shook herself out, causing one of their fellow warriors to hiss at her as she showered him with water and Silversong hissed right back before going to her nest.

Sunsplash shook herself off as well, making sure she didn't get too much on her clanmates before picking through the crowded den to her nest where Goldenstripe waited next to it.

"Are you alright? I was worried you'd gotten stuck in this storm. I wanted to go out and look for you, but-"

"It's fine Goldenstripe, I understand," Sunsplash interrupted, "you don't have to explain yourself."

He nodded reluctantly, "what took you so long? Usually you're the first one back once there's even a hint of rain."

Sunsplash sighed, and started explaining to him what had happened to her as she dried herself off, leaving out the part with Frost and his meeting proposal.

"Poor Rabbitpelt, I would've never expected her to go out like that. I'm so sorry you had to see that," Goldenstripe sighed.

Sunsplash looked at her paws, "I'd be more worried about Cherrystar, she seemed really affected by what happened," she lowered her voice so that only Goldenstripe could hear.

"Oh? Do you have any idea why?"

"No, of course not. You know how hard it's been for me to get through to her."

Goldenstripe frowned, "you're her deputy, aren't you? She shouldn't be hiding things from you," he huffed.

"I would agree with you, but considering what happened with Cobrastrike… I don't really blame her," Sunsplash sighed.

"She doesn't have any reason not to trust you!"

 _I'm not so sure about that,_ Sunsplash thought to herself, immediately thinking of Frost's offer. She shook herself, not wanting to think about that particular subject at the moment. "I'll keep trying, as always, but right now, I just need some sleep."

Goldenstripe nodded in understanding and gave Sunsplash the peace she desired. She sighed and settled down into her nest, hoping- as she did every night- that tomorrow will be better.

* * *

Sunsplash padded out of the warrior's den early the next morning as the sun was just starting to appear on the horizon. The dawn patrol would be awaking soon, and since the storm was now long gone, she wanted to check with Cherrystar regarding how to get Rabbitpelt back to camp. She stopped right outside of the entrance to the leader's den, listening for a moment. Usually Cherrystar snored, so silence indicated that she was awake. Sunsplash did hear something coming from the den, but it was not snoring.

"I'm sorry," Cherrystar whimpered, though her voice was barely above a whisper "I'm sorry. I couldn't save you. I was so foolish to leave."

Sunsplash blinked in confusion, was Cherrystar blaming herself for Rabbitpelt's death? Surely she recognized that that was not the case.

"You told me not to leave camp, I should've listened to you," Cherrystar muttered again.

Now Sunsplash was even more confused, _told her not to leave camp? Why would've Rabbitpelt said that?_

"Cherrystar?" Sunsplash meowed, a hint of concern in her voice.

Cherrystar's muttering suddenly stopped upon Sunsplash calling her name, she could here the leader shuffling around for a moment before she answered her. "Come in."

Sunsplash entered the den, expecting to see Cherrystar standing up and trying to act as if she hadn't said anything. Instead, she lay in her nest, looking as if she'd hardly slept at all the night before.

"What is it?" Cherrystar asked as she repressed a yawn.

"Um… I was just wondering if you wanted the dawn patrol to bring Rabbitpelt back to camp," Sunsplash meowed, deciding not to mention what she'd heard moments ago.

"Right… yes, that would be best," Cherrystar meowed, though she seemed distant. Looking at the ground as she spoke, her eyes glazed over.

"Cherrystar? Are you alright?" Sunsplash asked, she'd never seen Cherrystar act like this before.

Cherrystar jumped a little and shifted uncomfortably, but waved her tail dismissively, "I'm fine. Go and speak to the patrol about Rabbitpelt."

Sunsplash nodded and turned to leave, but hesitated for a moment. She desperately wanted to ask Cherrystar what was wrong and try to help her, but Sunsplash knew there was no way to get it out of her, at least not now. She sighed and left the den, glad to see that the patrol leader was up and waiting for the others at the entrance. She updated the tom on the situation before going over to the fresh-kill pile. Riverpaw was picking through it, searching for a good piece.

"I hope you're planning on giving that to the queens," Sunsplash meowed to the apprentice as she picked up a plump squirrel.

"Uh, I thought Stagfoot would do that," Riverpaw replied nervously as she dropped the squirrel.

"It's the apprentices' job to make sure the queens and kits are fed. Pebblefur needs it especially, she needs to keep up her strength while she feeds those two kits of hers." Sunsplash lectured. The apprentice nodded quickly before picking up the squirrel and trudging towards the nursery.

It had come as a shock to quite a few when the silver queen had moved to the nursery. It didn't take long for cats to gossip. Everyone knew who fathered the kits, of course, it was whether or not the father knew that came into question. Pebblefur kitted not long ago, and the two she-kits she bore were just starting to see and hear the world for the first time. Sunsplash took to the habit of visiting the little family, with Goldenstripe often accompanying her. Though she wished she wasn't doing that to herself, because it only made her desire to have kits of her own stronger and her clanmates seemed to be taking notice of that.

"When will you two have kits?" Sunsplash remembered Stagfoot asking her and Goldenstripe after one of their nursery visits.

"Wh- we-we're not-"

"That's not the kind of relationship we have," Goldenstripe interrupted as she stuttered. Though Sunsplash couldn't help noticing that he didn't seem to mind the assumption all that much. However, she did.

"Hey," she heard the tom in question meow from behind her. She greeted him with a warm smile as she turned around. "Did you talk to Cherrystar?"

Sunsplash sighed, "yes, but only about the dawn patrol." She paused for a moment, "but there was something else."

"What?" Goldenstripe asked as he tilted his head.

Sunsplash shook her head, "nevermind, it's not that important," she lied. Although Sunsplash trusted Goldenstripe, it didn't feel right telling him about what she heard Cherrystar muttering about in her den.

"Alright… would you like to go for a walk sometime? Maybe a two sunrises from now? Just the two of us?" The tom asked with a smile on his face as if he'd been waiting for moons to ask that question.

Sunsplash tilted her head to the side, she was happy for the change of subject, but confused by his offer. "Sure, but what for?"

"You'll see," he meowed, a grin still plastered on his muzzle, "oh, if you need to send me off on a patrol, I'd be happy to go."

"Oh, yes, if you could lead a hunting patrol…"

Goldenstripe nodded, "I'm on it, who would you like me to take?"

Sunsplash shrugged, "whoever you want to take is fine, just make sure there's enough of you to get a good haul."

Goldenstripe nodded once again, "as you command, my deputy," he said in a teasing tone.

Sunsplash shot him a feigned look of disapproval as he padded away, "by the way, you need to teach your apprentice better, she was trying to sneak prey from the fresh-kill pile."

"If I taught her everything, then who would you have left to lecture?" he meowed over his shoulder with a subtle chuckle.

Sunsplash huffed and rolled her eyes, though admittedly she didn't feel as insulted as she probably should have.


	7. Chapter 7

It was only two sunrises later when Sunsplash would hear Cherrystar muttering to herself again.

She had gone to speak to Cherrystar early that morning, per the leader's request, but Cherrystar had not been awake by the time she got to her den. Sunsplash had caught Cherrystar doing the same thing the previous day, that time she was going off about something entirely different.

"He's coming… no, no…" Cherrystar groaned, sounding troubled.

This time, Sunsplash felt that she could not stand idly by as she heard her leader talking in her sleep. She wanted desperately to know what was troubling Cherrystar.

"I'm sorry… I did everything I could…" the leader mumbled. Sunsplash could hardly take it any longer.

 _There has to be something I can do to help_ , Sunsplash told herself before entering the leader's den unannounced, "Cherrystar?" she meowed as she carefully prodded the sleep-talking she-cat.

Cherrystar jumped and her fur bristled before relaxing once again when she saw Sunsplash, "good, it's just you." she sighed as she sat herself up.

"Cherrystar, are you alright?" Sunsplash asked, cutting to the chase.

"What do you mean?" The leader acted clueless, but Sunsplash could see the flash of dread in her eyes when she asked the question.

"I heard you talking in your sleep."

Cherrystar's eyes widened with a mixture of shock and horror at the revelation Sunsplash provided. However, the leader quickly recovered, turning away and flicking her tail dismissively. "Just bad dreams," was the explanation she supplied, but Sunsplash would not be so easily warded off.

"Not just bad dreams by the sound of it. I can tell there's something wrong," Sunsplash meowed, "please, tell me. I'm your deputy, you can trust me."

Cherrystar looked back at her with a frown, her eyes narrowed "I thought the same thing with Cobrastrike, but look where that has gotten me."

Sunsplash frowned back at her, "well I'm not Cobrastrike. You know that. Is that not why you choose me to be your deputy?"

Cherrystar looked away as she considered her words. There was a long pause and Sunsplash feared that perhaps she'd crossed the line in the heat of the confrontation, but before she could mutter a word of apology, Cherrystar spoke. "StarClan is torturing me," was all she said before falling silent again.

"What do you mean?" Sunsplash asked as she sat down to listen to what her leader had to say.

"I've made a mistake… many mistakes… and now StarClan punishes me by plaguing my dreams with visions of… of them."

"Them?"

"My parents, I failed them many, many moons ago, on a night not unlike the one a few sunrises ago," Cherrystar looked at the wall of her den as she began recollecting the events. Sunsplash listened intently.

"I was a kit then, young and foolish, close to becoming an apprentice. I was eager to start my training as warrior and to finally explore SakuraClan's territory. One night, the excitement was just too much, and going against the word of my parents, I left camp." she scoffed as if she was disappointed in her younger self.

"A storm had been brewing when I left, but I told myself I'd get back before it got too bad." she said quietly, than hesitated a moment before continuing. "I was wrong. The storm seemed to start with full force and I was caught in the middle of it. My parents noticed my absence and went looking of me. I saw them, not too far away as they called out for me. I called back and started running back toward them, but suddenly, there was a flash of lightning. Before I knew it, a tree had toppled over and my parents disappeared beneath it…"

Sunsplash blinked as she processed the story, understanding dawning on her. Most of Cherrystar's behavior- during and after the events of Rabbitpelt's death- made much more sense now. She didn't understand, however, Cherrystar's interpretation of the story. "It wasn't your fault!" Sunsplash exclaimed after a moment of thought, "you were just a kit."

Cherrystar shook her head solemnly, "I should have obeyed them. Had I done as they said, they wouldn't have been taken so soon."

Sunsplash frowned, was that really what was bothering Cherrystar? An event that most cats would've moved on from by this point in their life? There had to be more to it than what Cherrystar was supplying her. "I understand the sorrow this memory must bring you, I just… I don't quite understand why it still troubles you so much."

Cherrystar's frowned, "I guess I should have expected this kind of insensitivity from a cat with no parents of her own," she remarked coldly, her tail flicked in agitation.

Sunsplash flinched, the words stinging her with the sharp revolution of Cherrystar's truth. "I'm sorry," she muttered as she looked at her paws.

Cherrystar's frown deepened, but the expression no longer seemed directed at Sunsplash, "no, I shouldn't have said that. Admittedly, you have a point."

Sunsplash looked back up at Cherrystar curiously as the leader continued.

"It's just that… I thought and was told that I'd see my parents again. Every single cat seemed to say so. But I didn't." She sighed and looked away. "When I became leader… I did not see them at my nine lives ceremony, nor in any other meeting I've had with Starclan. The only time I see them is in my nightmares." The she-cat shifted in her nest as she looked back at Sunsplash with a troubled expression. "I fear… I fear that perhaps they don't want to speak to me."

Sunsplash frowned in dismay, "that can't be true, did they not seem to love you when they were alive?"

"They did, they both did, but I was responsible for their death," Cherrystar meowed, as if that was a good enough explanation for her parents' silence.

"You were just a kit, you could have never known-"

"I should have listened to them!" Cherrystar interrupted, her fur bristling.

Sunsplash winced at Cherrystar's small outburst. She took a breath, knowing she'd have to be careful with what she said next. "You were just a kit, Cherrystar," Sunsplash reiterated with a firm yet soft tone, "every kit breaks rules, it's apart of growing up."

Cherrystar stared blankly at Sunsplash, obviously not very convinced. She looked back at her paws and didn't say a word.

"Perhaps-" Sunsplash meowed, still thinking as she said it- "perhaps you should try to reach out to them yourself, have you tried that?"

Cherrystar shook her head as she looked back up at her, "no, I wouldn't even know how to."

Sunsplash flicked her tail as she thought for a moment, "well… you could use the Starpond!"

Cherrystar chuckled at the suggestion, shaking her head, "that's not how the Starpond works."

"Why not? It's worth a shot, isn't it?"

Cherrystar opened her mouth, but closed it again as she considered Sunsplash's question. "I suppose-"

"Great!" Sunsplash interrupted, "it's settled then."

"Settled- what's settled?" Cherrystar asked, both confused and somewhat upset.

"We'll go to the Starpond tomorrow night, so that you can get the closure you need," Sunsplash meowed assertively before leaving the leader's den, not giving Cherrystar a chance to argue as she knew she would.

* * *

The rest of the day went off without a hitch, which Sunsplash thanked StarClan for. It almost seemed like everyday she would trip up in someway, somehow. She'd forgotten about Goldenstripe's invitation until he padded up to her as she went to retire to the warrior's den.

"Oh! I'm sorry, Goldenstripe, I'd completely forgotten," Sunsplash meowed after he mentioned it to her. She felt incredibly guilty for her forgetfulness.

Goldenstripe waved his tail dismissively, "it's fine, I know how busy you are nowadays, are you still up for going?"

Sunsplash perked up a little and smiled, "for you? I'm always up for it."

Goldenstripe smiled back at her sweetly before leading her to the camp exit. They walked past a small group of their clanmates gossiping together. One of the cats must have noticed them- because someone shouted, "have fun you two lovebirds!"- in a mocking tone just as the left.

"The nerve-" Sunsplash started as she looked behind her, but her attention was brought to Goldenstripe as she felt his tail brush her side.

"Pay them no mind," he meowed softly and with such an unusual air of wisdom that Sunsplash simply nodded and continued walking.

However, the comment still bothered her, and it made her wonder exactly how many cats thought this about her and Goldenstripe. They certainly weren't in any sort of romantic relationship, _not that I wouldn't like to be_ , Sunsplash caught herself thinking, but she immediately banished the thought.

"Goldenstripe," she meowed after they walked in silence for a few moments, "I was just thinking… does me being around you so much, does that… hurt you?"

Goldenstripe looked at her with a confused expression, "what do you mean?"

"Well, we've been friends for… well for as long as I can remember, but I was wondering if… maybe us being around each other so often is hurting our chances."

"Our chances?" Goldenstripe repeated with a chuckle, but she shot him a serious look that caused him to frown.

"Yes, our chances at finding mates and having our own families," Sunsplash clarified, "so many cats seem to just assume we're together, what if there's a she-cat in the clan that really likes you, but she doesn't say anything because of me?"

Goldenstripe stopped walking and stepped in front of Sunsplash as he faced her, "are you proposing we stop being around each other?"

"I-I don't know, should we?"

"You're kidding, right?" Goldenstripe meowed, looking more upset than Sunsplash had ever seen, "you're not seriously considering jeopardizing our friendship over something like that."

Sunsplash frowned and straightened up a bit, "maybe I am, what's wrong with that?"

Goldenstripe huffed, "we can't just stop being together, I wouldn't be able to do that, you wouldn't be able to do that, it just doesn't make sense."

Sunsplash looked down at her paws, she saw his point, but she wasn't ready to admit it quite yet. "I just don't want to be the reason you don't have a mate, I couldn't live with myself knowing I prevented you from being happy."

Goldenstripe's expression softened, "you're not preventing me from being happy, I'm perfectly happy the way I am now."

Sunsplash scoffed, "don't try to convince me you don't want a family, I've seen the way you look at Pebblefur's kits."

He shrugged, "I'm not saying I wouldn't, there just aren't many she-cats I'm interested in."

"Not many? As in there is at least one she-cat you have feelings for," Sunsplash pressed.

Goldenstripe snickered, "I suppose, but I don't know if she likes me back."

"Don't be ridiculous! Any she-cat would be lucky to have you! Maybe if you tell me I can put in a good word for you," Sunsplash suggested, clumsily trying to get the name of the she-cat in question out of him.

Goldenstripe gave her a small smile, "maybe another time, I don't think I'm quite ready yet."

"There's only so much time we have, Goldenstripe."

He sighed and flicked his tail, looking at his paws for a moment as if he were considering telling her, but then he shook his head. "We should head back to camp, it's getting late." He started to pad off before Sunsplash could argue.

She huffed and followed after him, "you're such a tease," she chided.

"How else am I supposed to keep you on your toes?"

* * *

By nightfall the next day, Sunsplash was standing by the camp entrance, waiting for Cherrystar to come join her for the journey to the Starpond. As she waited, Birchleaf padded out of her den, carrying two bundles of herbs in her jaws.

"Why are you and Cherrystar going to the Starpond, exactly?" The young medicine cat asked as she placed the bundles on the ground.

"She just wanted to try a reach out to StarClan, you know," Sunsplash meowed, not wanting to tell the actual reason for going, but also not able to come up with a good excuse.

"Hmm," Birchleaf pondered, "Cherrystar doesn't usually take extra trips to the Starpond."

As Sunsplash struggled to reply, Cherrystar emerged from her den and she was able to breath a sigh of relief.

"Are you ready to go, Cherrystar?" She called out, now completely ignoring Birchleaf.

The leader turned to her and sighed before hesitantly walking over. "Do we really have to do this?" She muttered to Sunsplash, out of earshot of the medicine cat.

"You need this, Cherrystar," was all Sunsplash whispered back.

They took their traveling herbs and bid Birchleaf farewell before embarking on their journey. The trip there was mostly silent, Sunsplash could tell that Cherrystar wasn't exactly in the mood to talk.

 _I hope this works_ , was all she could think as they traveled.

It was moonhigh once they got to the waterfall, "the Starpond is just up this cliff side," Cherrystar meowed.

Sunsplash nodded, "let's go," she affirmed. She looked up at the cliff side, searching for possible purchases to climb with or jump onto.

"Why are you doing this, Sunsplash?" Cherrystar suddenly asked after a few moments pause.

Sunsplash looked to her leader, smiling slightly, "everyone needs closure, Cherrystar." She put her fore paws on the wall to get a better view of it. "Besides, I couldn't stand seeing you so distraught."

Cherrystar sighed, she suddenly jumped up onto a rock jutting out of the wall that Sunsplash hadn't see. She silently made her way up the cliff face and Sunsplash followed after her.

"Wow," Sunsplash whispered after she had reached the top and gazed over the Starpond, her eyes widening.

Despite being the source of a waterfall, the pool was peaceful, and the roaring sound of the waterfall could not be heard. The pond was encircled by rocks of all shapes and sizes, which gleamed in the moonlight and reflected the stars above. A cherry blossom tree stood tall west of the pond. Its roots dipped into the water and its flowers were still in full bloom- even though it was moons past the normal time for the trees to blossom. The soft petals of the flowers rested upon the surface of the water.

"I've never been her before," Sunsplash meowed quietly, feeling as if she should keep her voice low due to the sacred nature of the pond.

"It likely won't be your last time visiting," Cherrystar replied quietly before padding over to the Starpond.

Sunsplash walked up beside her, "are you ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," the leader sighed.

She laid down beside the pool and touched her nose to the water. Sunsplash did the same, shivering as the coolness of the water struck her, but it quickly passed and she found herself falling into a deep sleep.

Her eyes flew open moments later and she was greeted with a starry landscape. She gaped for a few moments before her attention was drawn toward Cherrystar, who was looking off into the distance, her eyes full of fear. Sunsplash followed the leader's gaze and saw two cats in the distance, their features becoming clearer as they got closer. The tabby tom had brownish-silver fur and amber eyes while the she-cat was russet colored and had striking green eyes that reminded Sunsplash of Cherrystar. She quickly realized that the two cats walking toward them where the leader's parents and she could not thank StarClan enough for letting her plan be successful.

Cherrystar, however, was not as excited. She was frozen in place, shaking ever-so-slightly as she gazed up her parents for the first time in years. Sunsplash gave her a nudge and gestured for her to go toward her parents. The leader's eyes went wide in terror for a moment before she took a deep breath and did as Sunsplash suggested. Sunsplash decided to simply observe, not wanting to interrupt the family reunion.

The leader stood before her parents, but she looked much more like a frightened kit then a leader as she avoided their gazes and instead looked at her paws. Cherrystar's mother was the first to speak.

"We are so happy to see you, Cherrystar," the she-cat purred and Cherrystar looked up in alarm.

"You are?" She asked in disbelief.

"Why would we not be? You are our daughter, after all," her father meowed.

"But… you haven't spoken to me in moons. I was the one responsible for your death-"

"Don't say that, Cherrystar. You were only a kit and you did something that many kits have done before, our death was by no means your fault," her mother meowed with a kind smile.

"Then why did you-"

"You never sought us out," her father interrupted, "it seemed that you did not want to see us, so we couldn't go to you."

Cherrystar looked down at the ground in shame, "I was afraid . I thought you would hate me."

"We would never hate you, my dear," her mother meowed sweetly.

Tears began to slowly fall down Cherrystar's cheeks and her parents embraced her comfortingly. Sunsplash looked on with a pained smile as Cherrystar's words from a few days before echoed in her mind:

 _I guess I should have expected this kind of insensitivity from a cat with no parents of her own._

Sunsplash's own family was gone, completely unknown to her, she could never have this moment that Cherrystar was having right now. Her only chance of having a family, as she had decided many moons ago, was to have her own. Her mind immediately wondered to Frost and his offer. He would be waiting for her tomorrow night to see what she had decided and as Sunsplash watched the three cats, she made her decision.


End file.
